Extrapolating wind speed time series vs. Weibull distribution to assess wind resource to the turbine hub height: A case study on coastal location in Southern Italy

PL extrapolation models have been tested over a flat and rough location in Apulia region (Southern Italy), where the role played by atmospheric stability and surface roughness, along with their variability with time and wind characteristics, has been also investigated. A 3-year (1998-2000) 1-h dataset, including wind measurements at 10 and 50 m, has been used. Based on 10-m wind speed observations, the computation of 50-m extrapolated wind resource, Weibull distribution and energy yield has been made. This work is aimed at proceeding the research issue addressed within a previous study, where PL extrapolation models were tested and compared in extrapolating wind resource and energy yield from 10 to 100 m over a complex-topography and smooth coastal site in Tuscany region (Central Italy). As a result, wind speed time series extrapolating models proved to be the most skilful, particularly PD, based on the similarity theory and thus addressing all stability conditions. However, comparable results are returned by the empirical JM Weibull distribution extrapolating model, which indeed proved to be preferable as being: (i) far easier to be used, as z0-, stability-, and wind speed time series independent; (ii) more conservative, as wind energy is underpredicted rather than overpredicted.